The Leader first visited Sarpol-e Zahahb, the city hardest hit by the
earthquake.
"I sympathize with each broken heart,” Ayatollah Khamenei noted.
In the earthquake, which measured 7.3 on the Richter scale, about 440 people
lost their lives.
The Leader also referred to the sufferings of people in the region when Saddam
Hussein’s army invaded Iran in 1980, saying, "It is not the first time that such
incidents happen to the people of this region.”
The Leader added, "I was among you during the imposed war and you demonstrated
your valor and resistance during the imposed war and today it is needed to show
it.”
The Leader also praised people’s humanitarian aid to the quake-stricken
families, saying, "You see that Iranian people now consider themselves
‘Kermanshahi’ and people feel they are indebted to Kermanshah.”
Ayatollah Khamenei said all officials made efforts to lessen the sufferings of
quake victims "but I am not still convinced”.